The UK boasts the largest maritime sector in Europe, with a turnover of £37 billion and employing more than 250,000 people. Marine industry utilises diverse technologies, ranging from materials, through corrosion and fouling protection, to software and electronics. Custom-designed composite materials demonstrate improved survivability over their metallic counterparts in the aggressive ocean environment, new breathable fabrics are ideal for protective clothing and the properties of sails fabricated from laminated cloths can be optimised as desired, for shape, weight or durability. Other examples of leading edge marine technologies include carbon spars and rigging, innovative methods for anti-fouling and advanced electronics for navigation, search and rescue or fish-finding.

Advanced electronics for navigation     Breathable materials for protective clothing

Exotic laminates for sail fabrication

Carbon fibre technology for spars and rigging

Located on the south coast of England, close to major commercial and military ports and at the heart of the marine leisure industry, Focus Offshore Ltd is well-placed to provide consultancy and support for companies in the marine sector.

Services provided include:

• Technical assessment of equipment and procedures
• Sourcing of engineering services and equipment
• Information gathering and technology review studies
• Feasibility studies of novel concepts, applications and devices
• Economic and market research studies
• Experimental specification for physical modelling
• Model testing, data processing and performance assessment
• Procurement of cost-effective test facility hire

Representative Projects

• Study of methods for in-situ measurement of sea state [download ref]
• Feasibility study: Use of hydrocyclones for oil spill clean-up
• Measurement of human power production in the underwater environment [download ref]
• Investigation of filtration and foaming problems associated with seawater injection systems on offshore oil rigs
• Launch and retrieval mechanisms for small underwater vehicles